Singer Turns Down German Eurovision Win During Live Broadcast

The road to the 60th annual Eurovision contest, that will take place on May 23 in Vienna, Austria, is underway with each country selecting their act to perform, but when Germany voted for who they wanted to see represent their country, the expected reaction of joy by the winner was not what they saw play out on live TV.

The unexpected turn of events happened when it was announced that Andreas Kummert, a soulful rock singer known for winning the 2013 season of “The Voice in Germany”, won the contest for Germany. When given the microphone, Kummert turned down the win saying, “I’m currently not in a condition where I can accept the result of the vote, and so I’m therefore giving my title to Ann Sophie”, the runner up.

No one knew quite how to react to the announcement, with the host jumping in to clarify that he indeed did not want to go on to Vienna, to which he responded, “I think simply that she is much more suitable and qualified for this. I’m just a little singer.

The news received a mix of applause and booing from the audience, leading to an unsettled Ann Sophie asking the audience “Do you even want this?”

A situation like this has not happened before in Eurovision history, but the decision will be honored. Ann Sophie will perform “Black Smoke” in front of an audience of 180 million with the hopes of securing a third win for Germany in the Eurovision song contest.

Stephen founded German Pulse and LGBT Germany out of a passion to introduce Americans to a Germany that goes beyond beer and polka (although with enough beer he has been known to polka it up a bit). He's a coffee addict, lover of wine and good times, a hit in the kitchen and editor of TV commercials. You can follow him on Twitter (@StephenWFuchs) to find out a lot more.